~WHO, WHO, WHO~

We had a visitor tonight! This cute baby owl decided to land on our deck and quietly observe us as we observed him! He let me get pretty close with my camera before he got nervous. I know that I complain a little ( okay a lot) about the wild life that are always eating my yard, my last casualty was my tomatoes but, sometimes it is such a thrill to be able to see stuff that you just don't get a chance to see anywhere else. Tonight was one of those nights. How often do you get to stand three feet from an owl and take pictures? I did look closely to see if he had an envelope clasped in his talons because it was after all so very Harry Potterish...No envelope, no Hogwarts, no Sorting Hat again this year...So very disappointing.

~ROZZY~

The many faces of ROZZY!



Photograph by her grandma, Shauna Rae Robertson/Shauna Rae Art

Yep, we think she's adorable!

~LOVE "YOUR" LIFE~

I LOVE these flowers! They grow on vines in Guatemala. I was so excited to go back and see them again. The blossom is about one and a half feet long! I have TOO many pictures of the flowers of Guatemala but, they are so amazing. Can you even imagine something like this growing in our backyards?!



I have had a quiet day today, lots of time to think. It is at times like this that I usually sit down at the computer and count my blessings with gratitude mixed with a little humor and sarcasm... So, hold on!

It has been years since Steve has traveled for business. Yes, he has spent a day here and there but, a week at a time has just been unheard of for the past 10 years until today. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself, no one to talk to, no one to cook for ( not that I do that anyway but...) no one to complain to, no one to go places with. It's rather a lonely world without him around and it's only Sunday! I have always had the kids to fill up the house before, now they are gone too. Wow, how time changes things. I had the whole bench to myself today at church until one of my friends saw me sitting alone and came over and sat with me. The circle of life they call it. I prefer to think of it more as the process of becoming an orphan! One's life consists of several different stages some good, in-fact some GREAT! Some not so good. This one that I am in right now...Not so good, my health is spinning out of control, my future is a black hole, and the only thing I see right now that is a sure thing is that I have a job... Tomorrow! Not a lot of people can add that last one to their list so, I am truly blessed however, between the exacerbation's and the exasperation's I find myself quite incapable of getting up off the couch at times! That may have something to do with the mid-fifty thing...( My own personal summers about 10-12 times a day and night, and the introduction to replacement hormones that are a far cry from what my own body used to make). Please tell me that my sixties are going to be better!

Okay enough already...In all actuality things are going along rather smoothly for how really messed up they are or, maybe the Prozac is working exceptionally well and I just don't care...( I'm kidding girls, I know you worry when I say things like that, hehe...sorry). My job, although still challenging is getting better and I don't cry myself home every night. It's down to once or twice a week now and seriously that is SUCH an improvement! We have hired two more Circulators, one of which has a ton of experience and even helps me out when I find myself in a pickle...An almost daily occurrence for me. I am starting to feel more confident and comfortable in the OR and that, in itself, is a miracle! It has almost been one full year...(September).

Mostly, I love my life. I know that it is quite different from what it used to be but, different is okay, in-fact, different can be good! One day I think that I may look back on this busy time in my life and wish I could have it all again. For now, I will tell myself ( or maybe I will just let one of the many voices I hear tell me...Kidding again girls...) that I am never, ever going to get that old!

~THE CLARK CLAN~

I must have been in one of my quieter moods today...obviously, when you have a couple of people ask you why your so quiet you have to wonder how obnoxiously loud you are normally. I drove to Delta today to attend the graveside service for my Aunt Shirley. She is the first of my dad's siblings to pass away. She was 88 years old and a beautiful lady. She leaves us with so many "Clark" memories that we will treasure forever. On the ride down today I started to think about how very blessed I have been to grow up in such a remarkable family. The Clark's are, in my opinion some of the best people in the world and I was lucky enough to be born into that family. What a great childhood we had. I say "we" because it was never just me. The Clark's are a tight knit group of family members that really didn't need many outsiders. We had someone for everyone within our own family. Dave, Matt and Nancy started it all and will probably be there to end it all. Ya gotta love those three. The rest of us looked up to them in awe thinking that whatever they did was pretty much God-like and should be revered or at the least mimicked to some degree. Attempts to do so were usually lost in translation or simply ignored. All our lives we have been Dave, Matt or Nancy's little sister or brother...You know, I really don't think anyone actually knew my first name until AFTER they had graduated from high school!

It is at occasions like today that bring us all together and get us reminiscing about our "yester-years" . What a great afternoon. I am sure that Aunt Shirley was smiling at all the laughter and stories that were being tossed around the table by family members as we sat and enjoyed each other's company. Sadly our busy lives and the miles that separate us, keep us from getting together more often but one thing is for sure, when we are together we are family, one big, loud, joyful, group of Clark's!

~PLEASANT VALLEY DAYS 2010~

The cabin, carnivals, parades, bonfires and fireworks...Does life get any better than that? YES! A FOUR day weekend!!! Holy Fourth of July! Not to mention, my son Clark's birthday is on the 4th of July also. We really had reason to celebrate! Our cabin was full and so were our stomachs...ALL WEEKEND! We had 4 dogs and 2 new babies. A 1 year old, a couple of 2 year olds and a 4 year old. Parents galore and grandpa and grandma! SO MUCH FUN! I wasn't sure we would be able to sleep everyone but we did it! I hope that we can do it again soon. The cabin goes unused way too much and it is so nice when everyone is up there. Our busy schedules prevents us from going as much as we would like to but, when it finally does happen it is well worth the effort. Thank you everyone for helping out this weekend and being there. I LOVED it. (We missed you Jon, Steph, Gage and Ali).